Written By: BlueCoat Arts Centre, Dare to Struggle and various magazines
Performance Reviews
BlueCoat Arts Centre (LIverpool, England)
Freedom Magazine (Liverpool, England)
Scottish Socialist Voice (Glasgow, Scotland)
Bristle Magazine (Bristol, England)
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"Hustler's Revolution"
“The soulful sounds of Sister Aisha is truly a gift from The Creator. A voice so Divine and Rhythmic is a Blessing to every ear that hears. After years of synthetic music of the hip hop generation, lovers of real music can surely get their fill. Like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night, this music surrounds Aisha´s silky smooth voice. The lyrics are conscience, political and real to world life issues of our time. The mellow sounds and vibes are so very appropriate to relieve stress, relax, or to get in the love mood. I urge every lover of music, soul, passion and life to pay tribute to this wonderful, angel of song known as Aisha by purchasing her CD titled Hustler’s Revolution. “ Muquita—USA, President of Dare to Struggle Inc.
CD Reviews
"Aisha Angela Taylor's debut CD
'The Soulful Expression of an African from America,' absolutely has to be included in your "best of collection".
Tchaka Adofo
"The Soulful Expression of an African from America"
Performance Reviews
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The soulful Expression Aisha Angela
Taylor live in Glasgow When I went to a blues night organised by Sandy Nelson recently in Glasgow, I got much more than just an evening of great music.
Reprinted
from Scottish
Socialist Voice |
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Review
Exiled Aisha´s jazz, blues and scat really has something to say this Black
History Month
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"What I witnessed was utterly stunning. At ease with jazz, blues and scat, Aisha gave out an incredible couple of hours of riveting song linked to political polemic. Accompanying herself just on the piano, she laid on the rapt audience a standard rarely seen in these days of manufactured pap. It was no exaggeration on my part when I later told her that her gifts placed her comfortably up there between black women soul icons like Aretha Franklin and the recently deceased Nina Simone."
Frankie
Dee
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As part of this year’s celebration of Black History Month, held every October the City of Liverpool commissioned exiled Black African-American singer Aisha to perform in the Bluecoat Chambers. Knowing both Aisha and her partner; Bankole Irungu, through the political work they do on behalf of black American prisoners, I was invited along. What I witnessed was utterly stunning. At ease with jazz, blues and scat, Aisha gave out an incredible couple of hours of riveting song linked to political polemic. Accompanying herself just on the piano, she laid on the rapt audience a standard rarely seen in these days of manufactured pap. It was no exaggeration on my part when I later told her that her gifts placed her comfortably up there between black women soul icons like Aretha Franklin and the recently deceased Nina Simone.
If this was the 1960s, Aisha would have been deservedly sharing the same stage as artists of that calibre, no mistake about it. But sadly this is the age of the contrived and the synthetic, and there’s much less opportunity for an artist expressing herself politically than there was back then. More’s the pity, not the least because it’s needed and this woman surely has something to say. She’s no clone or substitute for people gone before us either. Aisha is her own guiding light, uniquely individual and mesmeric in deliver, imitative of nobody, writing much of her own material based around the contemporary black experience in post 9/11 America. As liberation black political activists, Aisha and Bankole have been hounded into exile, banished from freedom-loving Amerikkka (and Canada!), stalked and shadowed by the FBI wherever they go; to the point where they find it almost impossible to put down roots anywhere at all.
No sooner do they tentatively get their feet under the table; as it were, than the rug is pulled from under them by the all-powerful American political machine. The neo-fascists in the Bush regime don’t just wreak vengeance on countries like Iraq and Afghanistan: they pursue anyone; man or woman, who dares to challenge the continuing racism of America and its declared aim of political and economic hegemony.
Aisha, a singer and Bankole, a community worker and activist, know only too well that this is reality. It’s exactly these experiences that Aisha transforms into song, on stage and on disc. It’s a music that’s evolving right out of the now of black people’s and dissidents’ lives. This reviewer only understands music and performance in terms of meaning, expression, passion and commitment. Aisha has these qualities by the sackload. Go see her if you can. You won’t be disappointed. If you can fix up a gig or two, so much the better.
Frankie
Dee
Re-printed
from “Freedom” Magazine, Liverpool, England
(UK)
– 26th October 2003
